Hebrews 11 is often called the great faith chapter. It lists the deeds of many Old Testament believers. It defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (verse 1). We think of faith as something that happens in our minds and hearts. We believe in the Bible. We believe in Jesus. But the biblical definition of faith is to be so confident in our beliefs that we act on them, we risk everything for them. To be real, faith has to be acted on.

There is a tendency to focus on the positive results of faith. In the modern world, we have faith healers and promise peddlers. They tell us that if we have enough faith, we can be healed from cancer, get a new job, become rich, and have a happy family life. Hebrews 11:6 says that anyone who comes to God “must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” There are examples in Hebrews 11 of faith being rewarded in this way. Because of his faith, Enoch did not experience death but was taken directly to heaven (verse 5). By faith, Abraham and Sarah were miraculously given a son in their old age (verses 11-12). By faith, the people of Israel passed through the Red Sea unharmed (verse 29). By faith, others conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames, escaped the edge of the sword; became powerful, routed foreign armies, and saw their dead raised to life again (verses 33-35).

But those were the exceptions. By faith, Abel brought a more pleasing sacrifice to God and was martyred for it (verse 4). By faith, Noah spent years building an ark, barely escaped death, and had to start over from scratch afterward (verse 7). By faith, Abraham became a homeless nomad living in tents (verses 8-9), at times living in fear of powerful, violent men. We know that he finally had a son but forget that his family endured years of infertility, marital strife, and sibling rivalry. By faith, Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (verse 25). Others were tortured, faced jeers and flogging, endured chains and imprisonment, were stoned to death, were sawed in two, were killed by the sword, wore rough sheepskins and goatskins for clothes, were destitute, persecuted, and mistreated, and wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground (verses 35-38). Even those who experienced miraculous victories (verses 32-35) didn’t have easy lives. You don’t conquer kingdoms, become powerful in battle, and rout foreign armies without fighting a war. You don’t need to administer justice unless injustice exists. You don’t shut the mouths of lions without first being thrown into a lions’ den. You don’t quench the fury of the flames without first being thrown into the fire, escape the edge of the sword without first facing the sword, or experience resurrection without first experiencing death.

Verse 13 says that “All these people were still living by faith when they died.” To the end of their lives, they still had not received “the things promised” but only saw them from a distance. The conclusion of the chapter repeats, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (verse 39). Our modern idea that the Christian life is one filled with blessing and reward is not biblical. The Bible portrays the Christian life as one marked by challenges, struggles, opposition, and suffering, but also one filled with purpose, hope, love, meaning, and the presence of God. There are indeed unfathomable rewards and blessings, but many of those do not come until the next life.